


imprøvement

by blurryjace



Category: 21 Pilots, 21p - Fandom, Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Bandom - Freeform, Fandom, Fanfic, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Self-Insert, because youre a nerd, for you vic, gender neutral reader x tyler joseph, they/them pronouns, x Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 03:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5569762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blurryjace/pseuds/blurryjace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler wants to help (reader) improve with their rapping skills, after hearing them struggling to keep up with some of his own rapping. He's a bit more than ecstatic when he sees your improvement.<br/>Written in first person perspective, kept as gender neutral as possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	imprøvement

**Author's Note:**

> A gift to my buddy Vic, (stardustprince.tumblr.com) who couldn't be happier that I'm in 21p hell with em.  
> Here's to you, son.  
> Love, Dad <3

Sometimes going on a late night/early morning Taco Bell run was needed, and sometimes Josh & Tyler were too tired to drive which left me with the responsibility of being the 'designated driver.' Sure, I'd groan and complain but I was happy they had the common sense to ask me to drive as opposed to risking their own safety. I could just imagine it on the news.

 

> * * *
> 
> _**Tyler Joseph and Joshua Dun, members of the newly  popular band Twenty One Pilots, got into a car crash this morning when one of them fell asleep at the wheel. More on this story at 11.** _

> * * *

So as stated before, I was glad they took precautions as opposed to not only endanger themselves but others as well, for the sake of some "mexican" food. Sometimes I had to be the adult of the group.  
This morning was just one of those times. I was working on a particular song for almost 3 hours, before I decided for the sake of my own sanity, I should take a break. I had only stopped short of 15 minutes ago, and began sketching when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked up from my desk and behind me to see Tyler smiling down at me. I already knew that smile, the one where he specifically gives me this big ol' doe eyed look before he asks if I could drive him. I agree, like I always do, and stand up to find me keys; I'm abruptly stopped when Tyler holds them out in front of his chest. He smiles wider, and I can't help but laugh. Tyler had this obsession, this overwhelming love for Taco Bell. An obsession he had dragged Josh into. So when I said yes, and after he handed me my car keys, he ran off to go wake up Josh.  
Josh was a napper. The same passion Tyler held for Taco Bell, Josh held for naps. But ever since Tyler, Josh would compromise a nap for a Taco Bell run very very quickly. These boys had devoted their lives to their music & their fans, but we all knew where their hearts truly lied. Taco Bell & naps.  
  
All of us piled into my tiny car, 3 of 4 seats taken. Tyler and Josh sat in the back, and myself in the drivers seat, leaving the passenger seat open. It would most likely be used to put all of the food onto. Their Taco Bell orders were anything but small. Before I even started the car, Josh was asleep in the backseat again, Tyler climbing over onto the passenger seat, almost giddy with excitement. I had to laugh, it was truly amazing how excited he got over this. Starting the car, I reached over for the aux cord, and plugged it in. "Any requests?" I questioned Tyler, to which he responded by grabbing my phone and typing in something. I figured I trusted him enough, and left him with that responsibility - if you could even call it that. Pulling onto the main road, I heard the first beats of the song and knew it was Holding Onto You. He picked his own god damn music.  
"Are you serious? You listen to your own music in your free time? Listen Ty, I know you are famous and you're good at what you do, but this is a new level of cocky." I teased him, before he shrugged.   
"I actually didn't pick it. I was typing something else but I saw this in _your_  search history so you're welcome there, pal."  
  
He knew I listened to their music, that's how we met in the first place. I used to be a worker at Taco Bell a few years ago, and he saw I had some 21p bracelets. Since he was a regular there, especially at the drive thru, you saw a lot of each other. I gave him a lot of coupons and sometimes gave him things for cheaper prices because it is Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. I was a fan, I didn't care if I got fired for it - which mind you, I did get fired for it later on. But there was something odd about him seeing his music in my search history, maybe it was because all those years ago I was just another fan who was utterly in love with them. Now I am actually friends with the boys, and hung out with them on a regular basis. Was it weird for me to still listen to their music often? All of these thoughts clouded my mind, and were making me a little nervous, wondering if Tyler thought it was as lame as I worried it was. I decided focusing on the music would be better, I'd worry later. I hummed along with the beat while silently appreciating how empty the roads were at this time. I absentmindedly started singing along, until the chorus ended and the rapping began. I was never good at rapping, no matter how many times I listened to their music and heard how fast Tyler could throw out clever phrases and rhymed. I just never got it down. I felt Tyler looking at me, as I struggled to keep up with the song, but he kept singing along. I just stopped trying until it got to the chorus & the bridge again. I tried to keep up with it still, and I knew Tyler wanted to say something. Maybe to mock me? I knew Tyler would never do anything he knew would hurt me, but my anxiety was selfish & shitty; It convinced me that Tyler would take this chance to poke fun at me, even if he did know it would bother me. Luckily we pulled into the drive thru, and he unbuckled his seat belt before he climbed to the back seat again to wake up Josh. The two stared at the menu in awe. Something I never understood because they ordered the same thing every time, but each time they took a while to stare at the menu. 

Once they were done practically sight seeing, it was the same routine. They spent another few minutes just saying their whole order, we waited yet another few minutes for them to make the whole thing, we got the food, we paid, we left. Josh was wide awake now, and very noisy as him & Tyler complained when I said they couldn't eat in my car. I've seen them scarf down food before, and it is messy. I didn't want bits of cheese and taco shell between my seats, so I made them wait. I loved them, they were my best friends, but dear god their insistent begging for me to let them eat the food was getting tiresome. When we got to a red light, I picked my phone up again, and randomly selected a song. Of course, with my luck, it was another 21p song. This one was even harder to rap, but I'd be damned if I wasn't gonna try. Key word: **try**.  
Turns out trying to rap Migraine was going to result in me having one. But of course, Tyler did it perfectly as Josh drummed against his legs with his hands all the way home. When we parked in the driveway, they almost literally ran out of my car, grabbing the food and unlocking the door impossibly fast. Locking my car, and the door behind me, I walked into the kitchen to see them already eating. I pulled up a chair next to them, eating what very little portion belonged to me. 

Between Tyler's loud chewing, he asked,   
"You really can't rap?"  
Oh shit. I knew it was coming. I knew it. I had thought Tyler would let it go, that I'd be okay and wouldn't hear ridicule for my inability to basically just talk in time to a beat. I just shrugged as I continued eating. Josh glanced up, most likely seeing how nervous I'd gotten. It was pretty hard not to see. I was shaking so much I was surprised I could still hold anything. Josh elbowed Tyler lightly, Tyler wincing before understanding exactly why he'd gotten that.   
"I mean it's fine, Josh couldn't rap when I first met him, but he's actually pretty good now. He can keep up with some slower raps and he's honestly got really good diction with his words. I could help you too, yknow? If you wanted."  
Some ease came with this, but part of me still wondered if he was just saying this because Josh indirectly made him. I decided to have more faith in Tyler, seeing as he is a genuinely good person as far as I knew. I stayed quiet for a bit, eating my food, drinking my drink, genuinely wondering if I should take the offer. Wondering if it was a serious offer. I guess I was silent for too long, and Tyler urged it again,  
"So, what do you say? Care to be taught by the rap master?" He strikes a dorky pose in attempts to look cool, to which Josh mirrors it throwing up peace signs. I couldn't help but laugh, and I got over the anxiety as I nodded,  
"Alright. Sure. When do we start?"  
  
Both Josh and Tyler smiled widely at me, and I honestly would be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited.

* * *

 

_A Few Months Later:_

 

Josh went off somewhere, god knows where. Leaving just Tyler & I, sitting on the living room floor, all furniture pushed to the side to give us " _the room true concentration requires_ " - Tyler's exact words.   
He took a deep breath, sitting with his legs crossed, his pointer finger and thumb forming a circle with his palms facing up with a peaceful look on his face. Even if I knew he was just being a dork, I tried not to speak for the sake of his "focusing" but when almost 5 minutes passed and he never let up I had to finally say,  
"Uh, Tyler. Didn't we sit down to see how far I've come? When will that part actually yknow....start?"  
He slowly blinked a few times after opening his eyes, dropping the pose he held. "I'm not gonna lie, I might have fallen asleep for a little bit there. But yeah, okay. So what song should we start with?"  
  
I shrugged, "Why not the first song that started this whole thing? Holding Onto You, right?"  
I tried to act like I didn't remember, but honestly it's probably my favourite memory besides the few we've made with all these months of just practicing 21p songs. Tyler pulled a tiny toy piano onto his lap, insisting he could " _totally do this, no problemo_ " - once again, Tyler's exact word. I was admittedly kinda nervous, but I wasn't gonna stop him. He began playing, and I was surprised I could even hear the music over my ever quickening heart beat pounding in my ears. Whether I was ready to do this without the lyrics or not, I wasn't sure. But once I opened my mouth to start, the words just seemed to flow as if this were second nature to me. A few months ago, I got to the first word and began stuttering on the second. Now I was through with the first verse, and Tyler was getting really into it, having a genuinely great time on the toy piano. He sang along with me on the chorus, and I was loving every second of this. The second verse came around, and once again it just came out of my mouth without me having to even think about it.  
Tyler took over when the bridge of the song came, as I stood up, preparing myself for the next part. I see why he made us move the furniture now.  
As I continued, I couldn't help but start to dance a little. When you get this into a song, you can't sit still. And so the rest of the song went, before I knew it I was done. The song was over and I plopped myself back down on the floor, taking a deep breath in and smiling to myself.   
"Oh my gosh," Tyler's small voice began, "That was impressive. Remember when you barely got past the first word? Look at you now!"  
Tyler sounded legitimately proud, and something about that was extremely validating. I tore my eyes away from the floor to look at him, and I saw the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face. i heard clapping from behind me, and turned to see Josh, smiling almost as widely as Tyler was.   
"That was nice to come back to. Think you might be better than I am." At this point I was hiding my face in my hands, giggling from the pure joy that came with not only being better than I was only months ago, but from all the boys comments. Maybe they were sugar coating it, but I felt I did well and hearing them agree -whether it was real or not- was even more validating.   
"I could totally quit the band, and Josh would be fine. You could replace me when I die. If Josh leaves too, you'd have to find a drummer that's as good as he is, which will be hard."  
Josh laughed, before adding "Hey, wanna learn how to play drums? So when Tyler & I retire, you can just take over. A one person band."  
The three of us burst into a fit of laughter, a comfortable air filling the space around us. Tyler patted the space on the floor next to him, signaling for Josh to sit down next to him. Seemingly out of no where, he pulled out a toy drum.   
"I was waiting for you to come back, we need to hear more of their skills."  
Tyler and Josh both looked at me, "So, what song are we gonna do next?"

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't expect it to be this long but here we are. Kept the pronouns neutral, and tried my best.  
> Once more, excuse the mistakes I am a lazy lil butt who doesnt like editing. I'm a very serious author.  
> Hope you all enjoy, especially my home dog Vic  
> Stay stellar.


End file.
